IM Motors, the premium electric brand owned by SAIC, opened pre-sales for the new-generation LS6 on 10 September 2026. Within 45 minutes it reported more than 8,000 refundable deposits. The car goes on sale in China on 23 September.
The timing is worth noting. Tesla launched the Model Y Performance in China at 369,000 yuan the following day, adding a fifth variant to a lineup whose Chinese sales have been sliding for three months. IM spent the day before that aiming at the other end of the same showroom.
The price is the story
Three all-electric trims were opened for order:
| Trim | Price | Battery | CLTC range | 0-100 km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max (RWD) | 209,900 yuan | 76 kWh | 650 km | 6.4 s |
| Pro Max (RWD) | 229,900 yuan | 93 kWh | 782 km | 5.4 s |
| Ultra (AWD) | 264,900 yuan | 103 kWh | 750 km | 3.48 s |
The base Model Y in China starts at 263,500 yuan. That single comparison does more work than any spec sheet: the LS6 Max undercuts it by 53,600 yuan, about 20 percent, and the top-spec Ultra lands 1,400 yuan above it. IM has priced its entire range at or beneath the point where Tesla's begins.
What the cheapest trim comes with
The LS6 is built on an 800-volt architecture, and a fully by-wire chassis is standard across the range rather than reserved for the expensive version. That means steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire with no mechanical linkage, plus four-wheel steering with 18 degrees of rear angle in both directions, which gives a 4.79-metre turning radius on a five-seat SUV. An in-car assistant IM calls Claw is also fitted throughout.
This is the part Tesla cannot answer directly in the segment. Steer-by-wire exists in Tesla's range, but in the Cybertruck, not in a Model Y; the Model Y remains a 400-volt car. Whether a by-wire chassis is worth paying for is a separate question from whether a rival can put one in a 209,900-yuan family SUV, and IM has settled the second one.
Read the range numbers carefully
CLTC is a lenient test cycle and these figures are not comparable with WLTP or EPA numbers. Within the cycle, the internal ordering is the interesting bit: the Ultra carries the largest pack at 103 kWh yet claims 750 km, some 32 km less than the 93 kWh Pro Max, because the second motor costs more than the extra cells return.
Why this matters from Europe
The LS6 is a China-only car. IM Motors does not sell it here and has announced no plans to.
It still matters, for one reason: China is the Model Y's largest single market, and it is the market where Tesla's position is weakening fastest. The LS6 is the first model under IM's NEXT 2028 strategy, which the company describes as pushing technology from its expensive LS8 and LS9 into cheaper cars. That is the pattern that has been squeezing Tesla in China all year, and it now reaches a segment and a price where the Model Y used to be unopposed.
One note on the headline number. The 8,000 figure counts refundable deposits, the metric Chinese launches customarily publish, and it measures interest rather than sales. Deliveries follow the 23 September on-sale date.
What the LS6 already demonstrates, though, needs no follow-up: a fully by-wire, 800-volt, five-seat SUV now starts a fifth below the cheapest Model Y in Tesla's biggest market.